It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 3

Sunny In Philadelphia Season 3
Charlie Day, Danny De Vito, Kaitlin Olson
Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton
3 DVDs 15 episodes
Originally aired FX 2007
Fox Home Entertainment 2008

I wish I had come across It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia before the Season 3 3 DVD 15 episode box set. This is a surreal situation comedy that deserves high marks for originality and for rising way above the banal pap TV viewers have been stuffed with.  I do not think there has been such a groundbreaking sitcom since All in the Family back in the seventies.

Do not let the Father Knows Best style opening theme fool you. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia is a very edgy sitcom that pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable in TV comedy. Season 3 opens with The Gang finding a baby in the dumpster. Not to get profound or anything but the show is really about our throwaway society: from dumpster babies to garbage to abortion. Everybody goes a little overboard here and this is what makes this show great.

A couple of the episodes on the Season 3 Sunny in Philadelphia DVD set are a little less interesting: the Eagles try out show is one of those although Frank’s (Danny De Vito) acid trip is fun. The North Korea episode on DVD 1 is also a wash.

A lot better is DVD 2 ‘s The Gang Sells Out or Mac Is A Serial Killer -where Frank and Charlie thing Mac is a serial killer and  Dennis and Dee buy serial killer tools.

Also good is the 2 part The Gang Gets Wacked where Frank and his crew get in trouble with the Italian Benevolent Association (Mafia). My favorite is the DVD 3 episode where The Gang decides to clean the streets of Philadelphia dressed as Guardian Angels and cops.

It is obvious watching Sunny in Philadelphia that Danny De Vito makes the show. I find always screaming Charlie and actor Charlie Kelly irritating and too over the top but the other characters manage to divert my attention from him often enough.

There is something very Seinfeld about this situation comedy in how self-centered the characters are. The difference here is they are not ignorant of that fact and Sunny In Philadelphia is funny.

Special features on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season Three include a blooper reel,  something useless titled Sunny Side Up 2, a bit titled Meet the McPoyles, commentary tracks for some episodes, and a weird dancing guy featurette.

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